Destruction at all levels; the healing power of cancer

by Declan Hammond

Journeying with patients through
cancer is one of the most challenging but also one of the most rewarding parts
of my practice. Challenging, because it confronts both myself and my patients
with all of the issues and taboos that most people spend their lives trying to
avoid – death, disfigurement, loss, social isolation. Rewarding, because it
invites us both to embrace our shadows, to journey into our personal
underworld, and return to our lives, more fully alive, whole, more conscious of
our place in the world. The following is one of the
journeys I have been privileged to share in my practice.

L. is a 34 year old woman with cervical cancer, whose
cervix had been eaten away by the malignancy. She presents with shooting,
stabbing, tearing pains in her uterus. She has also suffered since her teens
from incredibly painful menstrual periods, being bedridden with pain for up to
10-15 days per month, and from genital herpes. Vaginal warts were burned off
when she was 16. She is prone to “splitting headaches” and to dry, scaly, itchy
skin. She has had many vaccinations, to which she has reacted badly.

She was very thin and nervous, shaking and pacing about
like a caged animal. Her history is extremely fraught: at home, she had to
protect her mother and sisters from her father, a drunk who would go out of
control and become physically and sexually violent. She took on a care-taker
role for everyone, even those who raped and beat her, such as her drunken
boyfriend.

Her boyfriend was later murdered. She was publically
accused of his murder and described herself as having being “treated like an
animal, torn to pieces” by the police and the tabloids. She, meanwhile lived in
terror, knowing that the true murderer was still at large.

Her eight year old son was taken from her and put into
care. She dreamt of rape, knives, violence, and of being a Jew in a
concentration camp. “I always imagine the worst thing happening.” The
destruction at every level, all through her ancestry as well as in her current
complaints and the many deaths around her, led to an initial prescription of
Syphilinum 10M.

Within two weeks she was able to spend time on her own
without breaking down. She stopped
feeling so “outside herself”, a feeling which is typical for situations needing
a deep remedy such as Syphilinum. “I’m usually desperate to be nice so that
people won’t hurt me, not now.”

I have found that patients with cancer are usually “nice”,
sensitive people who suppress their rage, their own individuality. It is often
only after allowing their deepest feelings to surface, expressing their rage
and pain that healing and release from the past is possible. (Any talk of
“forgiveness” before that happens is usually a further suppression of these
feelings).

L. spent 3 months on Syphilinum, ascending in LM
potencies from LM1 to LM3, at which point she reported:“Now, I know there is a future; before that, all I could imagine
was a horrible, painful death.”

When working with a patient through cancer, I will book in
frequent follow-up appointments, up to twice a week, as needed. At every
session, I ask “what do you need now?” The journey is rarely a straightforward
one, old or new issues arise and these need to be addressed as they come up;
changing remedies, potencies and therapeutic interventions as appropriate, to
be truly homeopathic to the case.

For these 3 months, I saw Lyn weekly and she spoke at
length of the pain she had suffered. At the end of this time, L. was “seething
with indignation” at what had taken place in her life. Her next remedy,
Staphysagria 10M, followed by 50M, then CM, took her further into her journey.

During her treatment, she was also prone to regular bouts
of influenza-type symptoms. Nux Vomica 6X and Sulphur 6X, in alternating doses, were given
for these. She experienced the bouts as “cleansings” of all the alcohol and
“junk” food she had used to numb her feelings; the remedies functioned as a
detox.

She gradually began to experience her grief in a really
intense way, breaking down into tears and sobbing hysterically, out of control.
At this point, Ignatia 10M was prescribed. It helped her dramatically but only
lasted a few hours. It was re-prescribed as a liquid dose, succussed and then
taken as required (as frequently as 5 times daily at the start, settling at
single doses weekly).

Two months on Ignatia 10M brought her to a place of power,
where she felt strong enough to ask for help. She started building a support
network for herself; got in touch with good friends she had left behind and got
rid of others she considered “toxic”. She became much more involved with the
homeopathic consultations; became more assertive, telling me what she needed,
and when she needed to see me.

A cancer cell has lost its sense of “self”, its true
purpose in the body. Likewise most patients with cancer have lost their sense
of themselves; their lives unlived, lost in caring for others or from being
oppressed/suppressed by their life challenges. Becoming more assertive,
attending to their own needs is a crucial step forward in the healing journey.

Six months into the treatment, Lyn’s painful menstrual
periods had improved but still troubled her. Ascending potencies of
Folliculinum from LM1 – LM4 brought these into balance, “for the first time in
my life”. During this time, she explored finding a direction for her life;
talked about “having a purpose” and “finding herself”.

L. was seen by her gynaecologist after 9 months of
treatment. To his amazement, her cervix appeared healthy, no sign of
malignancy.

I saw her a number of times over the next 3 years. She
enrolled in a college course, started a new relationship (her first “healthy”
relationship), found a satisfying job, and “reclaimed” herself. She used
Tabernanthe iboga from LM1 up to LM6 in this time; received an intercurrent
dose of Syphilinum 50M, when she “lost her bearings” after some deep family
abuse memories surfaced; had ascending potencies of intercurrent Carcinosin
(200, 1M, 10M) over 6 months, when guilt and self-recrimination about her child
clouded her recovery. (I have found Carcinosin, in one of its many forms, to be
almost always needed at some stage in the cancer journey). During this time,
L. became physically symptom-free, found peace in herself, and talked a lot
about “death and rebirth”, “renewal”, “true life purpose”, “connection with
family and ancestors” (all keynotes of this new remedy, that I was proving at
the time).

As a homeopath, I have long noticed that in the energy
field of my practice and of my life, I continually attract patients who stretch
my ideas of what is possible; who teach me to move beyond myself. I am taught
to be mindful of my own thoughts, belief systems, words and energy, and have
learnt over the years that all of these affect my patients as surely as my
remedies.

L.’s journey, so far from my own life, challenged my
credulity, shocked me with its violence, pushed my prescribing into new areas,
and showed me that to be homeopathic to her case, I had to be willing to prescribe
any remedy at any time, in any order, and in any potency. She inspired me
enormously with her courage, creativity, and willingness to transcend her
horrendous history, and bring healing into her life, continually reminding me
of Ben Gurion’s dictum: “Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles, is not a
realist.”

A mind blowing, eye opening healing of a sick soul/person. It is the truth the dominating school must learn.

Last Edit: February 03, 2011, 03:08:33 by mache

Posts: 7

The loss of loveReply #6 on : Tue December 21, 2010, 14:52:07

Excellent article and thanks for sharing your experience and explaining step by step the course of the amazing challenge with cancer. We have to use Internet to show how effective Homeopathy can be if the professional makes the connection with the soul of the patient and sees when s/he has lost the love for him/herself. I agree with prof. Paolo Lacerda that CANCER IS A DISEASE OF THE HUMAN SOUL

Thank you Declan, for sharing your experience in this case of cancer.
The comment of Paulo de Lacerda about the disease of the human soul touched me. I have some cases of Ornithogalum in cancer (kidney cancer and stomach cancer) where these patients literally said: "my soul hurts". I found it one of the keys to prescribe Ornithogalum, a remedy of the Lilliiflorae family, with good results.
It needs a profound and open contact with the patient to connect with the suffering of the soul, and indeed, when this happens it touches both persons: the patient and the therapist!

Posts: 7

Excellent article!Reply #4 on : Fri December 03, 2010, 13:16:05

Thank you for sharing such great details about this case and your own reflection of what is needed. I am also at a place in my practice where I am being asked to question 'the norm' of homeopathic prescribing, and just go with what is presenting itself. I find myself at times changing remedies quickly, prescribing more nosodes than in the past, and also asking and responding to patients for what they need. It has proven to be quite insightful and rewarding. I find often that the patients who come to me are the best teachers I could face!

Posts: 7

Hats off!Reply #3 on : Thu December 02, 2010, 13:12:55

Thank you for sharing the case with everyone.Most Homoeopaths love to boast about their cases but are never transparent about the treatment history.
Hats off to you to give such detailed information of the case. It definitely inspires me and I'm sure many more will find this case useful in their practice.

Posts: 7

Temperament & DiseaseReply #2 on : Thu December 02, 2010, 10:38:00

This case brilliantly illustrates the role personality and emotional temperament play in disease. It is something the lay public simply don't acknowledge but is usually the most important factor determining illness. Superb article and documentation!

Posts: 7

CANCER & MIND & EMOTIONSReply #1 on : Tue November 30, 2010, 18:55:58

In a very short comment concerning such matter, I just may say as retired physician, after more 25 years of daily medical practice as homeopath and GP, that in many cases of cancer, the emotions & mental conditions of each of those patients certainly act deeper in the evolution and life expectancy, whether there is a cure or not.
Finally, remembering the 19th century visionary French medical physician Dr.Jean Pierre Gallavardin, author of the first book published on Homeopathy and its use in Psychiatry who said wisely:In many cases, CANCER IT IS A DISEASE OF THE HUMAN SOUL.